Friday, October 02, 2009

IIT FAs' reps to meet HRD Minister today

There's some advance information about what the minister is likely to concede: not much. See the stories in The Telegraph and Indian Express. But the Times of India is a little more blunt: "Sibal won't oblige [IIT] faculty." So there.

The only real concession is on the 10 percent floor on OCAPs; it is now likely to be called an "advisory" provision, and not a mandatory one.

The 40 percent cap on senior professorship, the IITs are going to be asked to go to the IIT Council when they hit that ceiling, and ask for more. That's autonomy for you.

* * *

This, on the other hand, cracked me up:

“This meeting is in response to the IIT faculty’s telegram seeking an appointment with the minister. ...,” said a ministry official [source; Bold emphasis is not in the original].

3
Comments:

it was the telegram :-O who sends telegrams these days and is it even possible to do so. It is possible that it is an error on the part of a reporter, but if not, then it is a howler. Just imagine the representatives of the premier technological institutes in the country resorting to a 19'th century technology to argue they possess the most sophisticated techno brains in the country and therefore deserve higher pay ;-)